FHCA Partners with Q3 Healthcare Consulting to Support Members’ National Quality Award Journey

Tallahassee, Fla. – Florida Health Care Association (FHCA) is pleased to announce a partnership with Q3 Healthcare Consulting to support FHCA member nursing centers and assisted living facilities that are working toward earning an American Health Care Association/National Center for Assisted Living (AHCA/NCAL) National Quality Award. The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Awards recognize organizations that meet progressively rigorous standards of quality to improve the lives of their residents. Q3 Healthcare Consulting will support FHCA member centers during their Quality Award application process, through consultation, group trainings and by providing tools and resources to promote the Baldrige standards that help with improving centers' performance and residents' health care outcomes.

“FHCA is pleased to partner with Q3 Healthcare Consulting to provide our members with valuable guidance and resources as they pursue national quality awards,” said Emmett Reed, CEO of Florida Health Care Association. “These awards recognize a commitment to continuous quality improvement, strong leadership and exceptional resident care. By helping more Florida providers achieve this national recognition, we are further strengthening Florida’s reputation as the gold standard in long term care.”

Led by Dr. Kelly Smith, Q3 Healthcare Consulting brings a systems-based approach to quality improvement - connecting strategy, workforce engagement, operations, and customer satisfaction. Their expertise lies in evidence-based frameworks, such as the Baldrige Framework for Performance Excellence, on which the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Awards are based. As a trainer for the AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program Examiners, as well as a Gold Award Examiner, Smith works on a team that is tasked with helping centers set high standards for excellence using her experience in systematic quality improvement.

“Q3 has a long-standing commitment to empowering providers to deliver sustainable, high-quality care by design - not by chance - through collaboration, strategic alignment, and continuous improvement,” said Kelly Smith, CEO of Q3 Healthcare Consulting. “We are excited to partner with the Florida Health Care Association to support its members in elevating performance throughout the National Quality Award journey.”

The AHCA/NCAL National Quality Award Program is based on the National Institute of Standards and Technology's Baldrige Performance Excellence Program, the nation's only public-private partnership dedicated to improving the performance, resilience, and long-term success of U.S. businesses and other organizations. Each progressive award levels— Bronze – Commitment to Quality, Silver - Achievement in Quality, and Gold – Excellence in Quality, requires a more detailed demonstration of superior performance.

Currently, 153 FHCA members hold a Bronze National Quality Award, with 54 centers just recently earning the 2026 Bronze Award. Florida ranks second in the nation in both Bronze and Silver National Quality Awards, with 51 centers currently having achieved Silver status. In addition, three centers hold the top (AHCA/NCAL) Gold National Quality Award.

The 2026 Silver National Quality Award recipients will be announced in the coming months, with FHCA honoring the members that achieve National Quality Award recognition during its 2026 Annual Conference & Trade Show, July 26-30, at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 5, 2026

PRESS CONTACT:
Kristen Knapp, APR
850-510-4389 or kknapp@fhca.org